Dog Tags
by ImJustEmilia
Summary: She knew one thing for certain...Jack Bauer wasn't dead.
1. Chapter 1

Dog Tags

A/N: It's been bugging me and bugging me ever since the end of the season. A detour from what I usually write. Probably just a one shot, from Kim's point of view, since the show makes her out to be a simpering idiot.

Jack Bauer wasn't dead.

Sure, she wasn't some hot-shot super agent, but she also wasn't a complete moron. She'd been playing this game for _years _and she knew how it worked, and she knew what to look for.

When Tony had shown up on her porch, her heart had dropped. "Kim, I have some bad news."

His mouth said it, but his eyes didn't.

"Jack's dead. I'm so sorry Kim." He was emotionless. Not acting like a man who'd just lost his best friend. He held his hand out to her, offering a familiar silver chain and tags. "These are Jack's. He once told me if anything ever happened to him, he wanted you to have them."

They both knew it was a lie, but she took the necklace and let the cool chain slither through her fingers. "Th-thank you."

"Kim are you okay?" Tony's voice held concern. "Where's Chase?"

She gave a vague smile, "I'm okay Tony."

He frowned and wrapped a hand around her upper arm. "Kim, I think you're in shock. Where's Chase?" He stuck his head into the house, "Chase? Chase?"

"Shh…He moved out a few weeks ago. Took Angela with him."

"But Jack said-"

"He didn't know. Really Tony, I'm fine. I've had years and several false alarms to prepare me for this. I knew it would happen sooner or later." She met his frowning eyes. "It hurts, but he's happy now. He's with mom and the baby."

"Right," he agreed. He continued hesitantly, "Look Kim, the circumstances surrounding Jack's death are shaky at best."

"What does that mean?"

"The government isn't going to acknowledge his death. He's going to be buried as a John Doe."

"Doesn't really matter does it? He's dead right?"

"Yeah Kim. He is."

They stared at each other for a moment before Kim spoke again. "Thank you for bringing the news yourself. I appreciate it."

He nodded, "It's the least I could do." He leaned forward and gave her a hug, "If there's anything you need-"

"Thanks," she said pulling away, "but from now on, I think I'll stick to depending on me."

"Take care of yourself Kim."

She smiled, "I plan to."

She watched him drive away, then walked back into the house, ignoring the half-packed moving boxes around her. She held the dog tags up and watched them twist on the chain. The fracture in the lie.

Dog tags were a soldier's identity. Everything anyone wanted to know about them was contained on the metal. Many times, the tags were all that identified a dead soldier, and were sent back to his family. Kim remembered asking her father about them when she was little, and getting the response, "These are who I am sweetheart. I'm going to be buried with these that way God knows who I am."

She wasn't a government agent, and she didn't have the most concrete evidence, but she knew one thing for certain.

Jack Bauer wasn't dead.


	2. Ch2

The clock starts tonight! I'm shaking in anticipation! To calm my poor self I wrote athree more chapters for thisshort story about Kim…Review!

Ch.2

Kim had used every contact she could think of. Every person she had worked with at CTU. Anyone who knew her father, hell she had even called Chase to see if he knew anything. That was a pointless call she thought to herself. He thought she wanted him back, and spent ten minutes telling her how happy he was with Elizabeth. It was during this time that she wondered what the hell she'd ever seen in him. He was arrogant, impatient, and it's not like he was Casanova or anything. He stopped speaking to take a breath, and she used the opportunity to play the grieving daughter.

"Chase, I was just wondering if you'd heard anything-- about my dad."

The government had issued the story that while on assignment, Jack had gone missing. The search was on, but hopes weren't high.

Kim knew the story was bullshit when she heard it. It was the exact same story she'd heard about her father's friend Tom. It really did work to her advantage though. Like know.

"Please Chase, you hear things I don't. Has anyone said anything?" She made her voice thick with tears, knowing he couldn't stand to hear her cry.

"Kim," he sighed. "No one's said anything because there's nothing to say. The government says he could be alive, but Kim, you know better. You need to accept that Jack's dead."

She gritted her teeth in frustration and counted to ten. "You're right Chase, I'm sorry I bothered you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry about everything."

"Me too, she said disconnecting.

She stood up and arched her back, satisfied to hear the loud 'pop'. She was still angry though. She'd gotten the same answer from everyone she'd spoken to, And she'd spoken to everyone she thought would know anything. Except for three people: Tony, Michelle, and Chloe.

If anyone knew Jack was alive, it was those three. If she questioned them though, they'd probably give her the same spiel, and if she heard the words "accept it" one more time, she would punch somebody.

She wasn't a very intimidating person, so she knew she couldn't threaten the information out of anyone. Even Chloe had at least part of a backbone, so she wouldn't crack. She'd gone through her dad's apartment, even though she knew the government had already tossed the place and taken anything of importance. Her amateur search had come to a conclusion. And it wasn't good.

She needed answers damn it. She _knew_ she wasn't an orphan, she just had to prove it. Resigning herself to what she needed to do, she picked up the phone and punched in a number. It rang three times before she heard, "Hello?"

"Tony, it's Kim.

"Kim, is everything okay?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess. I need to talk to you. Face to face. It's really important."

"Are you in Valencia?"

"No," she told him. "I'm in L.A. 13250 Birch."

"I'll be there in about 15 minutes."

She hung up the phone and waited. True to his word, 15 minutes later there was a sharp knock on her door.

"Thanks for coming," she said letting him enter.

He shrugged, "You said it was important. What's going on?"

She took a deep breath. "I know my father is alive."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Kim, I know losing you father has been difficult-"

"Oh fantastic!" she cried exasperated. "The one person I thought I could count on to tell me the truth is lying to me too! Jesus Tony, I though you were better than that!"

"There's nothing for me to tell you Kim! Trust me if I knew Jack was alive, I would tell you! I hate seeing you like this. You're grasping at straws that aren't there Kim."

She resisted the urge to smack something-like him. "Tony, I know he's alive! The dog tags prove it. Dad wanted to be buried wearing his dog tags."

"People change their minds Kim! You're looking for something, anything to make it hurt less, but until you del with it, you're just throwing salt into the wound."

She felt her lip begin to tremble, and bit down on it. She refused to accept that he was right. Her father wasn't dead. She tasted coppery blood in her mouth, and looked up at Tony. "My father is alive. I'm going to find out where he is and why he's there, and I'm going to fix it."

"Kim-"

"He has saved me so many times Tony, and he's suffered for it. I've made him suffer. He needs help, and I'm going to be the one who helps him."

"It's not that easy Kim."

She gave a sad smile, knowing it was true. "Nothing ever is. Look, I know you'll be in danger if you admit he's alive, but if you can give me a sign. Please Tony, I know I'm not crazy."

Tony held her face in his hands, tilting her head until she was staring into his brown eyes. "What happened to you is sad. You lost both your parents in an incredibly violent way. I'm sorry but you have to let go and move on with your life. Jack wants that for you. Put all this behind you and start your life over."

Didn't he understand that she couldn't? She refused. "Tony," she protested.

He let go of her face and started towards the door. "I've helped you as much as I can Kim. Good luck." He walked out the door, and Kim sat heavily on the couch, replaying Tony's words.

Sorry, get on with your life, Jack wants that for you-Jack wants that for you. He said Jack _wants_ that for you. Not Jack _wanted_ that for you. He used present tense. Her father was definitely alive, and she was going to find him.


End file.
